


When it All Went Wrong

by thequidditchpitch_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, Explicit Language, Post War, Post-War, Romance, The Quidditch Pitch: Eternity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-02-11
Updated: 2009-08-19
Packaged: 2018-10-27 16:48:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10812951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequidditchpitch_archivist/pseuds/thequidditchpitch_archivist
Summary: Ron gets terribly injured on a mission. As he fights for his life, Hermione begins to lose control of her own.  This is a missing moment from "Catch Me If You Can".





	1. "The Trap is Set"

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

  
Author's notes:

I would like to thank AccioHBP for her brilliant beta work. She is an absolute joy to worth with! This was written for the lovely McNally00 and brilliant kaL. 

*hugs*  

* * *

 

Chapter 1 “The Trap is Set”

Ron sat at his desk with his feet up, reading the Quidditch scores in _The Daily Prophet._ Unfortunately, his beloved Chudley Cannons had been totally slaughtered by the Tornados the day before.  Ron closed the paper and threw it down on his desk.  He had been waiting for orders for over an hour now.  The director had sent a message via his watch a little after 9:30 that night.  Ron sensed something big was up as the director was coming personally to see him to give him his orders.  Harry had asked for the night off so he hoped the director would at least pair him with somebody who he could rely upon. 

A knock at the door startled him slightly.  He removed his feet from his desk and sat up straighter.  “Come in.” 

Director Timmons came in, looking slightly annoyed.  “I have spent over an hour trying to find another Auror to go with you on this assignment but I’m afraid we are very short-handed.”

Ron shrugged.  “I guess I’ll go alone then.” 

The director frowned at him for a moment.  “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Weasley.  It’s never good to go in alone.  You should have back up.” 

“I can take care of myself and besides, if I feel like something’s off, I can always Apparate out.”  Ron stood up, looking eager.  “What’s the assignment?”

Director Timmons scratched his head and sighed.  “One of our sources told us that a small band of former Death Eaters are having some sort of meeting at an old abandoned house on the wrong side of town. We need to know what they’re up to, so I only want you to eavesdrop and do nothing further! Understood?”  Ron nodded his head.  “Also, you are to report directly to me when you get back.”

Ron frowned.  “You don’t want me to fill out an official report, sir?” 

Timmons shook his head.  “I want to keep this information on a need-to-know basis right now.”

“You think we have a snitch among us?”

“Maybe, but I don’t want you worrying about that right now.  You just follow orders.”  He threw a file on Ron’s desk.  “You’ll find the location of the warehouse and the names of a few of the men we think are meeting  there.  I want you to try and get the names of the others that show up.”  Ron picked up the file and opened it.  “Weasley, you are to use extreme caution!  I don’t want you trying to play the hero on this one, got it?” 

Ron rolled his eyes and sighed.  “Yes, sir.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron Apparated to a secluded spot a block away from the address listed in the file.  He knew the area well, for Harry and he had been there on numerous stakeouts before.  The night air was cool and Ron shuddered slightly as he rubbed his hands together.  He began walking north from the dark alley toward the street where the house was located. 

Once at the street, he glanced up and down, the only light coming from two working street lamps.  He began walking cautiously toward the west end, his hand inside his pocket where he gripped his wand tightly.  He passed several streetwalkers who tried to pose seductively, asking him if he wanted to  have a good time.  Ron ignored them, his attention focused on the sidewalk in front of him. He finally arrived at the dilapidated house.  The door had several boards nailed across it, as did all the windows in the front.  

Ron looked back and forth before walking up the broken sidewalk towards the front porch.  The meeting that was taking place was supposedly set to start around midnight.  He looked at his watch and saw he still had about an hour to position himself where he could hear and see what was going on.  Ron began to walk around the house, not fancying to Apparate inside when he was not quite sure of the layout of the place.

He stopped at one of the windows in the back that looked to be a bedroom.  Taking his wand out, he pointed it at the boards.  The nails holding them to the house began to slowly loosen from the house and fell to the ground.  Ron looked around once more before pointing his wand at the window, making the glass melt away.  He carefully stuck his head in and saw that it was indeed an empty bedroom.  He climbed in through where the window once was and held his wand out.  “ _Lumos._ ”

His wand lit up the room.   The walls had several holes in it and the paint was chipping in places.  There was even a large hole where he could see the boards of the frame of the house. Running a hand through his hair, he opened up the bedroom door slowly and walked down the hallway toward the lounge.  The house was eerily quiet.  _Too quiet._ Something seemed off to him for some reason.  Since becoming an Auror, he seemed to have inherited this sixth sense that warned him when he was in danger. 

Ron gripped his wand more tightly as he entered the lounge from the hallway.  He looked around the room, seeing nothing more than an old battered couch lying on its side.  He took a deep breath.  _Perhaps I’m imagining things after all._ At that very moment, the whole room was engulfed with light from the tips of six wands that were pointed at him.  He was surrounded.  _Shite! My instincts were right after all._ Ron stood his ground, circling as the perpetrators held their wands out toward him.  Completely forgetting  his original plan of Apparating, Ron had a different thought.    _If I can just tap my watch with my wand, I could get back-up here straight away._ As he was about to do just that, one of the men yelled, “ _Expelliaramus!”_

Ron tried to keep his grip on his wand, wanting now to just Apparate the hell out of there. His wand fought against his grip and finally pried its way from his fingertips and into one of men’s hands.  He was totally defenseless now and raised his hands up in surrender. 

One of the men, whose hair was gray and face wrinkled with age, spoke up. “Well, well!  Look who we got here, boys!  One of the Golden Trio in the flesh.”  The other men laughed appreciatively.  “Looks like it’s our lucky day!” 

His hands still raised, Ron spat at the man, “Fuck you!” 

The man laughed.  “No need for such vulgar language there, Mr. Weasley.”  He looked over Ron’s shoulder to the two men standing directly behind him.  “Bind his hands.” 

Ron could feel ropes suddenly wound around his wrists tightly.  He struggled against them, knowing damn well it was futile.  The last thing he remembered was seeing a jet of red light coming towards him from the old man’s wand.  

~*~*~*~*~**~*~

Ron woke up feeling groggy and sore.  He was lying on the floor, his hands still bound behind his back.  Ron closed his eyes for a moment trying to get them acclimated to the darkness.  He opened them slowly and recognized where he was at once; the bedroom he had entered through the window.  Ron began to try and struggle against the magical bindings that were holding his wrists.  Sweating from the effort, he finally gave up and tried to think of another way out of his predicament.  

With great difficulty, he climbed up to his knees and turned toward where he knew the window was.  _What the hell?_ The window was gone.  There was only a wall now.  _Bastards must have sealed it._ Ron sighed.  _Dammit!  Think, bloody think!_ Ron made his way over to the wall and leaned his head and shoulder against it.  Breathing heavily, he lifted himself upward against the wall until he was standing.  Ron swallowed hard before quickly walking around the room.  The only way out was through the door and he didn’t know what the hell he’d run into if he tried to get through it. 

Shaking his head in frustration, Ron leaned back against the wall.  _I may be outnumbered, but I’m not going down without a fight!_  Ron sighed.  _If only I had Apparated when I had the chance!  Stupid!_ He just hoped that his prolonged absence might get the director to send help.  

~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~

Sometime later, the bedroom door flew open.  Ron had to close his eyes to the light, having been in the darkness for so long.   He barely had time to react as two men approached him.  One of the men delivered a blow to his head, momentarily making Ron see stars behind his eyes.  They dragged him from the room.  Head bowed down, Ron could see the floor moving underneath him.  The men came to a stop in the lounge, dropping him unceremoniously onto the hard wooden floor.  Ron grimaced and lifted his head slightly and saw that he was face to face with steel tipped boots.

“’Ow exciting that the director sent _the_ Ron Weasley out to spy on us.”  As the man chuckled, the two brutes lifted Ron back up off the floor and sat him down roughly on a small wooden chair.  The man with the steel tipped boots waved his wand at him, causing ropes to appear out of midair.  The ropes flew to Ron’s ankles, tying them magically to the chair’s legs.   “We’ll be ‘eroes for sure after we’ve gone and killed one of the Golden Trio!” 

Ron could feel the anger rising up in his chest.  He looked into the eyes of the old man, who wore a jet black cloak .  “Fuck you!”  Ron spat. 

He smiled back at Ron for a moment before fisting his hand and swinging with all his might.  He hit Ron square on the jaw, the force causing his head to whip sideways.  “There’s a long line of us former Death Eaters who ‘ave been waiting for this day, waiting for vengeance!”  He nodded at the other two men.  “How lucky we were to have been ordered to stay behind and take care of business, eh?”     

He shoved his hand in the pocket of his robes, pulling out a wrapped bundle that was fairly long.  Using his wand, he conjured up a small wooden table.  Staring at Ron the whole time, he began to unfasten the bundle and then turned to spread it out upon the table.  Ron looked on in horror to see what was inside the bundle- knives and other instruments of torture.

He shoved his wand into the pocket of his robes, picking up a sickle and holding it up high, looking at it appreciatively.  “Should I start off with this, boys?”  All three of the men laughed as he looked at Ron.  “Which do you want to go first?  Your hand? Or perhaps your foot?” 

Though Ron was terrified, his Auror training had taught him well.  Looking as cool as a cucumber, Ron piped up, “You’re all nothing but a bunch of ruddy cowards!”  The man holding the sickle, dropped his hand to his side and frowned at him.  Ron knew he had hit a nerve and continued, “A real man would fight me fair and square and not have me tied to a chair.  What’s the matter, arsehole? Scared I’d kill you first?”

He dropped the sickle to the ground and pointed his wand at Ron.  “How fucking dare you accuse me of being a ruddy coward!  I’ll show you coward.”  With a wave of his wand, he released all of Ron’s bindings.  Dropping his wand to the floor, he fisted his hands.  “Get up you piece of shite and fight me!”

Ron glared at him, not intimidated by him in the least.  He stood up, kicking the chair over.  Ron towered over the man and started forward.  The man took a swing, but Ron was quicker and grabbed his fist midair, pushing hard until he toppled over.  Ron went and picked up the scum, throwing him across the room.  Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the other two men were darting toward him. 

Before he had time to react, one of the men had grabbed his arms, pinning them behind his back.  The other man punched Ron hard in the face and then delivered several blows into his stomach.  Just as the man was going to punch him yet again, Ron brought his legs up and pushed the culprit forward.  The man fell into the table, knocking it over.  The instruments fell with him, creating a resounding clang throughout the room.   Ron struggled out of the other man’s grasp and turned around, punching him with his right fist.  The man fell to the ground, knocked out cold.  

Ron turned to see that the scum he shoved into the table held a knife in his hand, ready to attack.  Ron felt for his knives that he kept in a holder on each wrist and cursed when he realized they had removed them.  Bending down quickly, he felt at one of the holders on his ankle and was thankful they hadn’t discovered them.  He pulled the knife out and held it up.  

They began to circle each other.  Ron watched the man’s eyes intently, trying to gauge when he was going to strike.  When his eye’s squinted, Ron was ready for him.  He darted forward and Ron used his elbow to knock the knife out of his hand.  He grabbed his neck with his free hand and then plunged the knife into his heart with the other.  The man’s eyes widened for a moment before he slumped down to the ground, dead. 

Ron was breathing heavily.  He could taste blood in his mouth and wiped his lips with the back of his hand.  Kneeling down, he pulled his knife from the man’s heart.  As he stood up, he saw the older man aiming his wand at him.  _Shite!_ A jet of light came towards Ron, hitting him square in the neck.  Ron dropped the knife to the ground and grabbed his neck to keep the blood from seeping out.  His throat had been slashed.     

   

     

     

    

                 

                   


	2. "What Went Wrong"

  
Author's notes:

I would like to thank AccioHBP for her wonderful beta work. Her suggestions are brilliant and I know I'm lucky to have her as a beta and even luckier to have her as a dear friend! 

*HUGS*

missgranger2  

* * *

Chapter 2

     Ron clutched his throat with both hands, trying to stem the flow of blood pouring from his neck.  The old man laughed as Ron fell to his knees, his face growing whiter by the second.  The man walked passed Ron, ignoring him as if he were nothing but a piece of rubbish lying on the floor.  He kneeled down by the man Ron had stabbed and reached to feel for a pulse.  Shaking his head, he stood back up and walked over to the man Ron had knocked out.  Kneeling down, he felt for his pulse.  Satisfied that his comrade was still alive, he held his wand out and looked directly into Ron’s eyes.   Ron could hear the man laughing once more as he Apparated them both away.  

_This can’t be happening… I’m dying._ Ron could taste the blood in the back of his throat.  He scanned the floor and spotted the wand of the scum he had killed.  Growing weaker, he wrenched one hand away from his throat, while keeping his other hand tightly around his neck.  With inhuman strength he didn’t know he possessed, Ron began to crawl over to where the wand lay.  He picked up the wand with some difficulty as it felt slippery with his hand covered in his own blood.  Ron touched the wand to his watch and muttered, “ _Adiumentum!”_

     He pointed at his neck, attempting to do a healing spell with the wand.  His vision began to grow blurry.  Ron saw the glow of red light coming from his watch.  He heard a humming sound, feeling his watch starting to burn his skin.   _So this is the end._ Dropping the wand, Ron gurgled a few times, before lying his head down and giving himself over to the darkness. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~         

     Hermione’s alarm clock started to buzz loudly.  She shut the noisy clock off and then sat up groggily.  _Six A.M. sure does come fast._ Hermione rubbed her eyes and yawned.  She got up out of bed and put her dressing gown on.  Picking up her wand off her nightstand, she headed out of the bedroom and downstairs to the kitchen.  Using her wand, she turned on the lights, squinting.  Hermione pointed her wand at a kettle on the stove and then went and fetched a mug out of the cabinet, setting it on the counter.  She shuffled sleepily over to the pantry and grabbed a box of tea bags. 

     She yawned again and took a tea bag out of the box.  Hermione placed it in the mug and waited as the kettle began to heat up.  Wiping her eyes, she heard a noise coming from the lounge.  _Ron must be home._ She hurried to the lounge and was surprised to see Harry, not Ron, standing there. 

     “Harry!”  Hermione gave him a hug.  “If you’re here to see Ron, he’s not here.  He was summoned last night.”  Hermione’s smile began to fade when she saw how grave Harry’s expression was.  “What’s wrong, Harry?” 

     His eyes were wet.  He cleared his throat and took Hermione’s hand in his.  His voice was barely above a whisper and she had to strain to hear him.  “Something’s happened to Ron.”

     Hermione covered her mouth with her hand for a second before removing it.  “W-what do you mean?” 

     Harry rubbed his eyes wearily with his free hand.  “He’s at St. Mungo’s right now… he’s been hurt, Hermione.”  He released Hermione’s hand and took her in his arms.  His voice quivered, “It’s bad, Hermione.  You need to come straight away.” 

     Scared, Hermione began to cry.  _I can’t lose him._ She shakily pulled away from Harry and raised her wand up, running it up and down her body.  Her night clothes disappeared, replaced with a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt.  The kettle in the kitchen began to whistle loudly.  Frantic, she ran into the kitchen and aimed her wand at it.  Instead of silencing it as she intended, the kettle fell to the floor with a loud clang.  Boiled water spilled out from it, creating a watery mess on the floor.  Hermione pointed her wand at the fallen kettle to clean it up.  It was a simple spell but for some reason she couldn’t recall what the spell was.  Hermione’s lips began to quiver slightly and she dropped her wand to the ground. 

     Harry came in the kitchen and looked on in horror as Hermione suddenly fell to her knees to the floor.  He rushed over to her and kneeled down beside her.  Her eyes were glossed over with tears and Harry could never recall seeing her look this anguished.  He used his own wand to clean up the water on the floor and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.  “Let’s get to the hospital, Hermione.”  

     He stowed his wand in his robes and picked hers up off the floor.  Hermione swallowed hard as Harry helped her to her feet.  She looked like a zombie as Harry lead her back into the lounge and over to the fireplace.    “We have to Floo over Hermione.”  Harry shook her shoulder.  “Hermione?”

     “What?  Oh, yes of course… Floo… yes.”  Hermione bit her lip and looked from the fireplace to Harry.  “Should I go first or…”  She shook her head, looking completely confused.  “I guess it doesn’t matter. I just hope I say St. Mungos properly.”  Hermione shook her head again.  “It probably would make more sense if you went first so that you’d be able to make sure I arrived…”

     Alarmed by her odd behavior, Harry shoved her wand in his robes and took her hands in his.  “I’ll enlarge the fireplace and we’ll go together, alright?”  Hermione didn’t respond as more tears began to fall from her face.  Harry released her hands and retrieved his wand from his robes and pointed it at the fireplace. The opening grew bigger.  He reached up and grabbed a handful of Floo powder from a vase on the mantle.  

     Turning to Hermione, he reached his other hand out to her.  She looked at his hand and turned away as if steeling herself.  Wringing her hands together, she said in a low voice, “I won’t be able to take it if he dies, Harry.  He promised he wouldn’t leave me… not ever.”

      Harry bowed his head slightly.  “We need to go Hermione… please.”  He lifted his head back up and looked straight into her eyes.  “He needs you now.”   

~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

     Hermione felt like she was in some sort of daze as Harry led her to the hospital room where Ron was.  She passed a group of witches who pointed at them and smiled.  _Why are they so happy?  Don’t they know what’s happened?_ They arrived at the lifts and entered the first one that opened.  The lift operator tipped his hat at them, and the lift began to move upward, stopping at every floor.  The lift operator announced what maladies were associated with each floor.   Hermione felt as it were taking an eternity.  _He could have died by now and I wouldn’t have ever had the chance…_ She covered her eyes with both hands and sobbed.  _I didn’t tell him I loved him when he left last night… what was I thinking?_ Harry put his arm around her and hugged her tightly against him.  Her emotions were running the gamut from sadness to remorse to anger.  She removed her hands from her face and glared at Harry.  _He’s Harry Potter for pity’s sake!  Why doesn’t he demand that this damn lift go straight to Ron’s floor?_

     The lift stopped yet again as the operator spoke up, “Fourth floor.  Spell Damage.  Unliftable jinxes and hexes, incorrectly applied charms plus a recently added addition of a  Security Ward for Aurors, Dark Magic Damage, Dueling Damage, Combat Damage and Mission Mishaps!”  The lift door opened.  There were a throng of witches and wizards gathered by the lift doors.   Some held cameras, while others held a parchment and quill.  The lift operator’s eyes widened.  “What in the world?” 

     Harry had one arm around Hermione’s shoulder.  He held his free hand up in front of him as if to shield her.  “All of you back off right now!”  They walked out of the lift and into the throngs of reporters.  One of the wizards stepped up and snapped a picture of the two of them, making Harry livid.  “I said to back off- _now_!” 

     The reporters cleared a space for them.  They walked quickly toward the waiting room.  A witch appeared beside Hermione holding a notepad of parchment and quill.  “Can you tell us how serious Mr. Weasley’s injuries are?” 

     Harry pulled Hermione tighter against him and fixed the witch with a glare.  “Piss off!”   The witch huffed indignantly at him.  Harry pushed the door open to the waiting room.  Inside sat all the Weasley family and several Aurors.  

     Mrs. Weasley, clutching a tissue, came up out of her chair towards Harry and Hermione.  He released her as Molly took her in her arms.  “H-he’ll be alright.  I-I just know it.”  Hermione felt strangely detached.  For some reason she couldn’t quite explain, she didn’t want to hug Molly back.  Mrs. Weasley pulled back from her and looked curiously at her.  “Hermione?”

     Hermione folded her arms.  “I want to see him.”

     Molly sniffled and then nodded her head.  “Yes, of course.  I just came out from seeing him.  Arthur went to talk to Director Timmons to find out what happened. He’s in room ten.  I’ll give you some time alone with him, dear.”  

     Hermione started walking down the hallway, ignoring all the sad stares of all the people in the room.  Harry piped up, “Want me to come with you?”  Hermione shook her head and headed down the hallway.  She stopped at the wooden door that had the number ten in brass nailed to it.

      She hesitated a moment for she had never been so scared in all her life.  _How badly is he hurt?  Will he ever be the same?  Is this the last time I’ll ever see him… alive?_ Hermione took a deep breath and turned the knob.  She bit her lip as she entered and closed the door behind her.  Ron was lying on a bed in the middle of the room.  More tears began to fall from Hermione’s eyes as she quietly approached the bed. 

     Ron was lying flat on his back with a thin blanket pulled up just over his chest.  His neck was wrapped completely in white gauze, his face battered and bruised.  Hermione gasped out loud at how pale he looked.  She reached shakily under the blanket and took one of his large hands in her own.  “I’m here, love.”  

     She squeezed his hand before letting it go.  Wiping her eyes, she spotted a chair in the corner of the room and went and pushed it close to the bed.  Before sitting down, she stooped over him and wiped the fringe off his forehead and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.  She took his hand in hers.  “You need to fight, love.  I need you here.”  Hermione brought his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles reverently.  “I love you.  Don’t you dare leave me, Ronald Weasley.”  Hermione began to cry full out.  “You promised.  You said you’d never leave me… you promised.”  

     The door opened and a healer entered the room.  Hermione kept his hand in hers, wiping her eyes with her other.  “Good morning.  I’m Healer Sedgewick.  I’ll be in charge of Mr. Weasley’s care today.” 

     Hermione nodded her head.  “How bad are his injuries?” 

     The healer ran his wand up and down Ron’s body.  His expression looked grave as he brought his wand down to his side.  “I am not at liberty to say.  I have been instructed by Director Simmons to not discuss his condition with anybody but him right now.”

     Hermione’s eyes widened.  “Why?”  The healer was about to answer her, but something caught his attention as he looked down at Ron in alarm.  Hermione immediately looked at Ron and saw that the white gauze covering his neck had begun to turn a deep crimson.  “Is that blood?” 

     “Could you please step outside a minute, miss?”  The healer raised his wand up, mumbling an incantation.  Within minutes, a group of four other healers rushed into the room.  He looked at Hermione, who hadn’t moved.  “Please miss, we need to tend to his wound straight away.” 

     She shook her head slowly.  “I’m not leaving him!” 

      Healer Sedgewick shouted at her, “Fine!  I don’t have time to argue with you.  Just move out of the way so we can do our job!”

     Hermione stood up and moved her chair back.  She watched as the healers surrounded Ron, pulling the cover back.  One of the healers had her wand pointed at his heart while another had his wand pointed at his neck.  Healer Sedgewick began unwrapping the gauze hurriedly from Ron’s neck.  He began to bark out orders to the other healers.  “Get ready to seal it Henry!  Claire, make sure you keep his heart pumping as Henry seals the wound!  The rest of you be at the ready if Henry can’t seal it this time!” 

     Hermione watched in horror as the gauze was pulled off.  Blood began to pool around Ron’s neck.  A purple light glowed from Henry’s wand, sealing Ron’s neck back up.  Healer Sedgewick began to siphon the blood off with his wand.  “Keep it up, Claire, until we’re sure that his neck is sealed properly.” He continued siphoning the blood off.  “Shite!  It’s not sealed all the way!  Do it again, Henry!”

     Hermione was shaking as tears began to fall from her eyes.  She wrapped her arms around herself, willing his neck to seal.  _You can’t die.  You can’t die._ She bit her lip and stepped closer, the overwhelming need to get closer to him consuming her.  The healer was still trying to work to seal his neck.  _Why can’t they stop the bleeding?  What in Merlin’s name happened to him?_

     Healer Sedgewick took a deep breath.  “His throat is sealing shut now.  He’s stable again.  That was bloody close.”  The other healers removed their wands from Ron.  As Healer Sedgewick began to wrap his neck back up in gauze, Claire laid her wand up near his head and covered him back up.  They all walked to the door with Healer Sedgewick bringing up the rear.  He turned to Hermione.  “I’ll be right back, miss.”

     Hermione nodded her head slightly. She walked two steps and bent down until her lips were just by his ear.  She whispered in a shaky voice, “You scared me to death, love.  Don’t do that again.”  Hermione moved her head up and kissed him gently on the cheek.  “Stay with me, Ron.”  Just as she was about to stand back up, she noticed Claire’s wand still lying by his head.  

     Hermione picked it up.  “Be right back, sweetheart.  I’m just going to go and give the healer her wand back.”  Hermione walked over to the door that was opened slightly.  She was about to push the door open when the low voice of Healer Sedgewick stopped her in her tracks.  Hermione leaned her ear closer to the opening so that she could hear better. 

     “He is probably going to pass away sometime today as nothing we’ve tried has stopped the wound from opening up.  One of you needs to go and do some research and see if you can find anything that will help.  Whatever hex the bastards used has me completely stymied.”

     Another healer spoke up.  “I don’t know how he’s lived this long with all the blood the poor bloke has lost.”

      Healer Sedgewick sighed.  “Yeah, it does seem like some sort of miracle.  Look, just get going on researching a spell that will work and get back to me as soon as you can.”

      Hermione stumbled back from the door, a look of horror on her face.  She dropped the wand and ran over to the bed.  Crying, she laid her head down upon his chest as her hands fisted the covers covering him.  She could feel his heart beating beneath her.  _You have to live._ Hermione raised her head up slightly and whispered.  “I don’t think I can take it if you die, Ron.  I’ll fall apart… without you.”  She lay her head back down and could have sworn she heard the beating of his heart quicken.  _I can’t live without you._

     She lifted her head up and wiped her eyes.  Hermione spotted a stack of small parchment and a quill sitting on the nightstand.  She grabbed a piece of parchment and shakily took the quill in her hand.  _I need to find a way to save him before it’s too late._ Hermione hastily wrote a note.  Folding it, she addressed it to the Hogwart’s library and shoved the message into her pocket.  _I’ll get Harry to owl it._ Hermione pushed the chair back over to his bed and sat down in it.  She took his hand in hers.  _I’ll find a spell that will help you.  I’ll find a way to save you… I promise._                        

     

      

              


	3. Chapter 3

  
Author's notes:

I would like to thank the very lovely and brilliant AccioHBP for her fine beta work! She is lovely to work with!

*hugs*

missgranger2

* * *

     Harry came in to see Ron soon after the healers had left.  Hermione sat in a chair pulled up to the side of Ron’s bed, grasping his hand.  Harry cleared his throat.  “Hey.”  Hermione turned her head and nodded.  “How is he doing?” 

    Hermione shook her head.  “The same.”  She turned back around and continued to stare at Ron’s lifeless form as if in a trance.  

    Harry came up behind Hermione, placing his hands on her shoulders.  “How are you holding up?” 

    Hermione shrugged, not turning around.  “I need you to do me a favor.” 

    “Anything.” 

     Hermione released Ron’s hand and reached into the pocket of her sweatpants, pulling out a small piece of parchment.  She brought it up to Harry’s hand and sniffled.  “I need you to go and owl this message to the Hogwart’s library straight away.” 

    Harry took the list from her as Hermione took Ron’s hand in hers once again.  He read over the message, raising his eyebrows.  “How come you want these types of books, Hermione?  I mean they’re all dealing with dark magic.” 

    Hermione wiped her nose with her free hand.  “I need to find out what spell he was hexed with.  It’s imperative to find the counter spell or potion before he bleeds to death.” 

    Harry frowned.  “Isn’t this something the healers should be working on?”

    Hermione’s voice rose slightly.  “They are.  They don’t know him though.  They don’t love him.  I do love him and I want to try to find a way to save him.” 

     Harry swallowed hard and pushed the piece of parchment into the pocket of his Auror robes.  “I’ll owl it for you.”  He took a deep breath.  “Can I get you anything?  Tea perhaps?” 

     Hermione shook her head again.  “I’m fine.”

     Harry nodded his head sadly knowing that Hermione was anything but fine.  He couldn’t blame her for wanting to do something to occupy her time.  Just moments before he had come to Ron’s room, Director Timmons had shown up and asked to speak to Harry in private.  The director had told him that Ron’s prognosis was grim; he wasn’t expected to make it through the day.  

     Harry took his glasses off and wiped his eyes.  “I’m going to head up to the Owlery and deliver your message.  I’ll be back soon.”  Hermione nodded her head.  “Molly will be coming in to see him again as soon as Arthur gets back.”  Hermione nodded again.  Harry bit his lip, not used to his usually animated friend to being so quiet and withdrawn.  “Well, I um… I’ll be back soon then.”  He slowly turned and walked out of the room feeling anguish for both of his friends.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     The books began to arrive soon after Harry had delivered the message for Hermione.  She had cleared off the nightstand by his bed, creating a makeshift desk of sorts.  Hermione had sifted through two thick volumes so far and, finding nothing useful, had deposited them on the floor.  The healers had had to seal Ron’s wound a second time since she had been there, making Hermione more determined than ever.  

     Molly had been in and out as had the rest of his family.  Hermione was withdrawn, taking to ignoring them and concentrating on her research.  Hours went by and Hermione had still found nothing.  As the pile of books on the floor had grown to six, George came in yet again.  

    He cleared his throat causing Hermione to turn around and frown at him.  “What?” 

    “I was just going to see if maybe you’d like to take a break and go and get some tea or something at the cafeteria.”  He took a deep breath.  “You’ve been reading those books for bloody hours, Hermione!”

     “I’m not going anywhere until I find out how to cure him!”  She huffed and turned back to the nightstand, opening another book.  

     George rolled his eyes and watched her for a moment.  _Ron would want her to take care of herself for pity’s sake!  She’s been at it for nearly six and a half hours!_ Going for another tactic, he raised his voice slightly, “Ron will go completely spare when he finds out you’ve not had a bite to eat for hours!” 

     “Just leave me alone, George.”  She shuffled the book to the side, pulling out a piece of parchment that was lying underneath.  She took the quill lying idly by and dipped it into some ink and began to write. 

    “You’re going to make yourself sick, Hermione.  You know Ron would want you to not take care of yourself.”

     Suddenly Hermione threw the quill down and stood up, bumping the nightstand as she did.  The heavy books sitting atop the desk she hadn’t looked at yet slammed down to the floor.  Several sheets of parchment began to sail through the air as well as the ink, landing pell-mell on the floor.  Her face was red and furious looking.  “I am going to spend every second, every minute, every hour researching- as long as it takes to find out how to save him!”  She began to flail her arms wildly about making George take a few steps back.  “Every second I waste is a second he doesn’t have!  I AM NOT GOING TO LET HIM DIE!” 

     The door to the room burst open, making George jump.  Molly stood there with her eyes wide open looking between George and Hermione.  “What in the devil is going on here?”  George bit his lip and began to fidget uncomfortably.  Molly stepped closer to him with her hands on her hips.  “Well?”

     George shrugged.  “Hermione and I were having a discussion is all.”

     “Discussion?”  George shrugged again as Hermione stooped down and began picking up the parchment off the floor.  Molly watched her for a moment and frowned.  “Would you like me to clean that up for you, dear?”  She pulled her wand out and waited for Hermione to respond.  Molly watched as Hermione stacked the parchment on the desk along with one of the heavy books.  “Hermione?” 

     When she still didn’t answer, Molly walked over to her, stooping down to the floor as Hermione picked up another book.  “Are you alright, Hermione?” 

    She snapped back, “I wish everybody would stop asking me that!” 

    Molly stood back up and blinked her eyes a few times alarmed at her behaviour.  “I know you’re under a lot of stress, dear.”  She turned around and took Ron’s hand in her own.  “We all are, but he’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

     Hermione had stacked everything back on the nightstand, though a terrible ink stain was now on the floor.  “Nobody knows for sure though, _do they_?”  

    Hermione sat back down in the chair and opened the book.  Molly looked over at George who twirled his finger in a circle by his head indicating that he had thought she’d lost her mind.  In actuality, George was very worried for her.  As usual he reverted back to finding some sort of humor in the situation in order to deal with it.   Molly cleared her throat and spoke in her most pleasant voice.  “There is always hope, Hermione.”

    George looked over at Hermione.  Though her back was to him he could tell that her body had grown rigid.  Her voice had a sharp edge to it when she spoke, “I need to get back to my research.” 

    Molly gently released Ron’s hand and turned and wrapped her arms around Hermione who felt like a statue in her arms.  She released her and sighed.  “Well I guess we’ll leave you to it, dear.”  She looked over at George and gestured with her head towards the door. 

     Never seeing Hermione in such a state, George felt his eyes grow wet as he walked to the door.  Hermione wasn’t going to stop searching for a cure anytime soon.  She had thrown herself into finding the answer and there wasn’t a damn thing anybody could do to stop her.   

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     Another two hours had passed.  Ron’s wound had to be re-sealed yet again and now his skin had grown pale and chalky.  Hermione knew she had little time left.  The healers had been performing spells they had researched, but nothing they tried seemed to work.  Before opening the last book, she stood up and walked the two steps to the edge of his bed. 

     Taking his hand in hers, she began to speak in a low voice, “You need to keep fighting, Ron.  I need more time.”  She bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears.  “If you can hear me, you need to hold on because I will find the answer… I will.”  She bent down and kissed him lightly on the lips.  Alarmed at how cold his lips were, she touched her lips with her free hand when she lifted back up.  _He’s dying._

     Hermione released his hand and went straight back to her research.  _You need to hurry Hermione… time is of the essence!_ For the next half hour she went through the first two chapters of the book titled _The Darkness of Spells._ The whole book was chalk full of the most horrid spells Hermione had ever come across.  In the middle of the third chapter, she came upon a spell that caught her interest.  It was called the _Minuo_ spell.  The page had a drawing of a man, his throat slashed.  He was gripping his throat with his hands in order to stop the flow of blood.  _This has to be it._

     Hermione read how the _Minuo_ spell would cause its victim to bleed out.  She felt herself growing steadily excited when she spotted the heading Counter-Curse.  Hermione began to read, her excitement turning to horror all at once.  There was no sure fire way to stop it. The book suggested trying a series of spells starting with _Occludo._ It was also suggested that the wound be sealed shut with candle wax before attempting the spell.  Hermione shuddered for a moment at the thought of pouring hot candle wax across Ron’s neck.  _Still, I have to do something!_

Harry walked in, having come and gone all day long.  He was just about to say something when Hermione cut him off, “You still have my wand?” 

    “Uh, yeah.”  He reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled it out.  Harry handed it to Hermione who stood up, picked up the book and turned toward the bed.  “Did you find something?”

    “Go and seal the door, Harry.”  Harry frowned for a moment but did as she asked.  She set the book down and reached over to unwrap the bandage from around Ron’s neck. 

    “What in the name of Merlin are you doing, Hermione?”  Harry said in alarm. 

     The bandage off, Hermione looked around the room and spotted the quill.  Pointed her wand at it,  she quickly transfigured the quill into a candle.  Using her wand again, she lit the candle and held it up over Ron’s neck where the wound was.

   “Have you gone mad?!”

   Ignoring Harry, she watched as the candle wax fell down upon his throat.  There was a hissing sound when it hit the wound.  A small, green cloud of smoke began to rise in tiny spirals from around the wound.  Once she had sealed the lesion with the wax, she used her wand to transfigure the candle back to a quill and threw it down to the floor.  She picked the book up with her free hand and held the wand shakily to his throat with the other.  “ _Occludo!”_

A pale, blue light engulfed the wound.  It pulsed for a few seconds before Ron’s eyes popped open.  His whole body began to squirm and he started to gag.  Hermione dropped the book to the floor with a loud thud.  “He can’t breathe!”  

    Harry unsealed the door in a flash and ran out into the hall.  “HELP!  WE NEED HELP IN HERE NOW!”

     Several healers filed into the room as Hermione got out of the way.  Healer Sedgewick yelled at her, “What in the name of Merlin did you do?!”

    Shaking like a leaf, Hermione replied, “ _Occludo._ I- I was trying to help him.” 

     “Dammit!  I think his throat has been sealed shut!”  One of the healers called out. 

     Sedgewick yelled again at her, “Are you trying to kill him?”  As Hermione began to shake her head frantically, he pointed his finger at her accusingly.  “I’m going to report you for this!  I don’t give a flying flip who you are!”

     Tears began to fall from her eyes as the healer scowled at her before joining the others.  Several wands were pointed at various places on Ron’s head and chest.   Hermione began to shake uncontrollably and whispered aloud, “I was only trying to help him.”   The healers continued to work frantically on Ron.  At one point, one of the healers actually lay his head upon his chest to listen for a heartbeat.  Growing hysterical, Hermione slumped to the floor.  “I was only trying to save him!”

     Harry watched his friend of so many years fall apart before his eyes.  His heart went out to her.  He sat down on the floor with her and put his arm around her.  “I know you were only trying to help him, Hermione.”  He hugged her tighter.  “Please don’t do this to yourself.”

     The frantic activity of the healers suddenly stopped.  One of them piped up, “He’s stable again!  Cor but I think that whatever is holding his wound together is working this time!”

     Sedgewick spoke up, “Still, I don’t think he’s out of the woods yet.”  He turned to Hermione.  “What did you use on his neck to seal the wound?”

    Hermione was too far gone to respond.  Harry replied, “Candle wax.”  The healer gasped.  Harry quickly pointed to the book on the floor.  “I think according to that book it said to use candle wax.” 

     Sedgewick picked up the book and read the title.  Frowning he said, “Exactly what spell are we talking about here?”

     Harry released Hermione who was sobbing uncontrollably.  He took her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him.  “What spell is it, Hermione?”  She didn’t seem to hear him and continued to sob.  Harry tightened his grip and raised his voice slightly, “Tell them what the bloody spell is, Hermione!”   She hiccupped a few times and mumbled something.  “What was that?”

    Hermione took a deep breath and sniffled.  “ _M-Minuo._ ”

     The healer nodded.  He opened up the book and scanned the table of contents.  Finding the _Minuo_ spell, he quickly thumbed through the pages and began to read.  The room was silent save the cries coming from Hermione.  He turned the page and sighed.  “Says here on the next page that addition to the candle wax to seal the wound, a Curatio Potion must be given every two hours for the next five days.”

     A female healer spoke up.  “A Curatio Potion?  I’ve never heard of it before.”

    “It’s damn complicated to make according to the ingredients listed here in this book.  We better get on it though as it says it has to be administered as soon as possible after the candle wax is used to seal the wound.  Without it, he won’t likely make a full recovery.”   He handed the book to the female healer.  “Go to the lab and hurry and make the potion, Harriet.  He needs to get it into his system straight away.”  Harriet nodded her head and quickly left the room.  

     The other healers began to file out as well.  Sedgewick looked down at Harry and Hermione who were still sitting on the floor.  “Next time you need to make sure to consult a healer before performing spells that you obviously know nothing about!  The _Occludo_ you did on his neck could have killed him if we hadn’t come in and performed a dozen spells afterwards!”

     “She was only trying to help!”  Harry shouted back angrily at him. 

     “Well obviously she didn’t read on to the next page where it states that the potion should be given first before using that particular spell!  She just went and made matters worse. Now we have to continuously check and make sure his airway doesn’t close shut!” 

    Angry, Harry stood up bringing Hermione with him, and setting her down in the chair.  “Sit here a moment, Hermione.  I’ll be back in a moment, alright?”  She didn’t respond, seemingly lost in despair.  He turned to the healer. “I want a word with you in private- _now_!”

    Sedgewick followed Harry out into the hallway.  After the he shut the door, Harry lit into him.  “From now on you are to leave her the hell alone!  She was only trying to help him so stop making her feel worse.  And another thing, need I remind you it was Hermione- _not your people_ \- who finally found the answer!” 

     The healer took a deep breath and frowned.  “All I’m saying is that she had no right to perform a spell she knew nothing about!”  He pointed his finger at Harry’s face.  “I am also going to go to administration and file a formal complaint about this.  I am going to insist that her wand be taken away while she sits in that room with him!” 

     Harry slapped his finger away.  “You’ll do no such thing!  I will keep her wand and you will shut your mouth- _got it_!” 

    “Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?”

    “I’m Harry Potter, that’s who. Don’t think I won’t throw my name around in order to protect her.  You go to administration about this and I’ll make sure you’ll be banned from St. Mungos for good, arsehole!”  

     Sedgewick bit his lip, eyeing Harry up and down.  “Fine.  Have it your way!  But it’s all on you if any of this gets out or if he dies because of her stupidity!”  He turned on his heal and stalked away in a huff.  

     Stopping himself from following the bloke to punch him in the face, Harry rubbed his forehead wearily.  He hated to use the fact that he was Harry Potter to get his way.  Quite frankly, he hardly ever used such antics, but he wasn’t about to let this jackass cause Hermione any more grief.  _She can hardly deal with what she’s going through now._

     He walked back in the room to see that Hermione had pulled the chair up to Ron’s bed.  Harry began to walk closer to her and, spotting her wand on the floor, picked it up and stowed it into his robes.  Standing beside her, he looked down to see that Hermione was holding Ron’s hand with both of hers.  He cleared his throat.  “Hermione, the healer asked that I keep your wand while you’re in the room with him. I’m sorry it has to be that way and I just want you to know I don’t agree at all.”  He bit his lip.  “Anyway, I have your wand if you need it, alright?” 

     She sniffled but didn’t look up at him, staring intently at Ron’s face.  “The healer is right.  I’ve made matters worse now.  If he dies, it’ll be all my fault.”

     “Stop talking nonsense, Hermione.  You were only trying to help him.” 

     Ignoring him, she continued, “If he dies, I will never forgive myself.  How could I be so stupid?” 

     Harry wanted to tell her that it was she who had finally found the answer for pity’s sake, but for some reason he didn’t think she’d listen to reason right now.  He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the top of her head.  “I’ll be back in a little while, alright?  You want me to bring you something back?”

     Hermione shook her head.  She heard Harry sigh as he turned and walked out of the room.  “I am so, so sorry, Ron.”  She brought his hand up and placed a gentle kiss upon his knuckles. “If I cause your death, well… I just won’t be able to live with myself.”  Hermione kissed his knuckles again as tears began to fall down her face. 

~*~*~*~*~**~

     Inside Ron’s mind, something was beginning to stir.  He sensed her pain.  _She is hurting.  Hermione needs you._ Then he swore he could feel her touching him.  Her soft hands were holding his and something wet was falling down onto his knuckles.  _Is this real?  It has to be.  Why can’t I wake the hell up?_ And then he heard her voice as clear as day. “… I just won’t be able to live with myself.”  His heartbeat sped up as he heard the pain and sorrow in her voice.  He willed his hand to squeeze hers to let her know he was trying to comfort her.  Nothing.  His hand wouldn’t move at all.  Her voice could be heard again and he concentrated on it, “… I can’t take this.  I just can’t take this anymore.”  She was crying now.  _Dammit I need to wake up!_

     Suddenly he felt like there was something lodged in his throat.  _Bloody hell I can’t breathe!_ Hermione’s voice faded away as well any awareness of his physical surroundings.  He was submerged in blackness yet again as his breathing ceased once more.                 

            

                              

      

                       

    

              


	4. Chapter 4

  
Author's notes:

I would like to thank AccioHBP for her fine beta work. She is not only a brilliant writer, but also a wonderful friend that I am truly grateful to have in my life.  And to Kal and McNally, I hope you both enjoy the next chapter of your story!!!

*hugs*

missgranger2 

* * *

Chapter 4

     It was day two and Hermione sat in a chair by his bed, watching and waiting.  The healers had been called in several times throughout the night to stop the bleeding and revive his stilled heart.  Fraught with worry, she couldn’t go to sleep and completely lost her appetite.  _Because of the spell I performed on him, he could die at any moment._ Hermione took a deep breath and wiped her eyes wearily.  

     A large blanket lay draped over her.  Ron stirred briefly, making her sit bolt upright.  The blanket fell from her body, dropping to the floor.  She took his hand in hers.  “Ron?”  He groaned slightly.  “Ron?”  He ceased moving at once, returning to his coma-like state once again.  Hermione watched him intently for a few moments before cursing under breath.  “You need to fight, Ron.”  She bent her head down and lightly kissed his knuckles.  

     Hermione heard the door open and turned her head to see Ginny walk in.  “Any change?”   Hermione shook her head sadly and focused her attention on Ron once more.  Ginny sighed and walked around to the other side of the bed.  She took her brother’s hand in hers.  “His color looks better, I think.” Ginny smiled slightly.  “Yes, it does.  And his skin doesn’t feel so cold anymore.”  She looked at Hermione.  “My brother will pull through.”

     Hermione looked back at her, a pained expression on her face.  “I hope so.” 

    Ginny continued to look at Hermione who had again gone back to staring at Ron.  Hermione’s skin was ashen and there were dark black circles under her eyes.  Her lips were dry and cracked; while her hair was up in a ratty ponytail with several stray hairs hanging in wisps about her face.  “Hermione, I think you could use a bite to eat and maybe a bit of rest.  I’ll stay with him.” 

     Hermione shook her head determinedly.  “No.” She said decisively.  I’m not leaving his side.”

    “Um… well maybe I can bring you something to eat and drink then?” 

    “I’m not hungry.”  

     Ginny took a deep breath.  “Hermione, you really do need to eat something and get some rest.”  Echoing George’s words, Ginny added, “ Ron would want you to take care of yourself.”

     Hermione raised her head up and looked Ginny squarely in the eyes.  “Because of me, Ron isn’t in a fit state to do much of anything.  I almost killed him yesterday!”  Hermione lips twitched nervously.  “He still could die due to my stupidity, Ginny.” 

     Ginny came around the bed and placed her hand on Hermione’s shoulder.  “Please stop blaming yourself, Hermione.  Ron was already in a very grave state before you even performed that spell on him.  I know you were only trying to save him.” 

    She shrugged off Ginny’s hand.  “Maybe you do, but I’ll always know the truth, won’t I?  I’ll always know that it was me who made things worse because I used a spell I knew nothing about.  I should have known better and now he’s paying the price for my stupidity!”  

     Ginny shook her head in frustration.  She knew how stubborn Hermione had always been.  “For Merlin’s sake, Hermione you need to let it go!”  When Hermione seemed to pay her no mind, Ginny bent her knees slightly and grabbed her roughly by the shoulders.  She turned her roughly to face her.  “It’s not your fault!  You hear me?  You’re making yourself sick over it.  My whole family is worried not only about my brother but you as well.  Please Hermione, please just stop with all this nonsense!”

     Tears began to fall from Ginny’s eyes.  Strangely, neither her tears, nor her words had any effect on Hermione.  Her eyes stared straight ahead and when she began to talk, it was as if Ginny wasn’t there at all.  “I know that he has been lucky up to this point, with strangers stalking him because of who he is.  I knew when he became an Auror that he’d be in ten times more danger than the others because he was Harry Potter’s best friend.  Yet, I supported his decision.”  Hermione bit her lip.  “He was always a target, and this time his luck ran out.” 

     Ginny frowned.  “Hermione…”

    She looked up at Ginny.  “I can’t eat because I feel sick to my stomach.  I can’t sleep because all I see are images of Ron lying dead right in front of me.”  She took a deep breath.  “And the guilt is eating away at me, Ginny, about a lot of things right now.  I’m hanging on by a thread because that’s all I have left.” 

     Ginny solemnly nodded her head, not sure what to say.  The strong young woman she had known for so long seemed to have been replaced by a vulnerable, shell of a person.  Hermione turned from her and stood up.  She began to fuss with Ron’s bedcovers and then brought her hand up and wiped the fringe from his eyes, speaking softly to him.   Ginny shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable all of a sudden.  “Well, I um… suppose I’ll go and grab a spot of breakfast.  Are you sure I can’t bring you back something?  A cup of tea perhaps?”  Hermione shrugged and sat back down in the chair.  Feeling a deep sense of sadness for her friend, Ginny left the room without another word.

~*~*~*~*~*~

     His neck was burning.  It felt like he had downed a whole bottle of Firewhiskey.  _Water.  I need some water._ The burning sensation was growing worse and spreading to his chest and then his stomach.  _Bloody hell, I’m burning from the inside out._ He began to see colors of orange and red, replacing the blackness he was submerged in.  _I can’t bear the pain… bloody hell what’s happening to me!_ He was at a point where he wished himself dead.  Suddenly, the colors behind his eyes changed to light blue and white.  Ron felt his body being engulfed by cool water, chasing the flames away.  Relief overtook him and he saw blackness once more. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     Hermione had been alarmed when sweat had begun to appear across his forehead.  She had summoned the healers who began to run their wands up and down his body.  The flush in his cheeks began to slowly disappear.  One of the healers spoke up, “Looks like he may have an infection.”  He turned sharply to another healer, “Go and fetch some more bandages from the cabinet and make sure you properly sanitize them with your wand.” 

     Hermione watched as the healer carefully removed the bandages from his neck.  He ran his wand back and forth along the deep red cut and re-wrapped it with a fresh dressing.  “How did he get an infection?” 

    The healer shrugged.  “It could be a number of things, miss.  We are just going to have to be extra careful from here on out.”  He looked at the other healers.  “Even if his wound stays sealed, I think it best we change the dressing every hour and use a disinfection spell on his injury.  We should also administer an antibiotic potion straight away.  If we don’t get a handle on it now, all we’ve done will be lost.”  The other healers nodded and left the room.  “We’ll be in and out all day, but if you see him suddenly start running a fever, summon us at once.”

    Hermione nodded as the healer left the room.  She pulled the chair back over to the side of the bed and sat back down.  Her hands were shaking as she grasped his hand.  “I’m here, Ron.  I’m here.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     Every hour, a healer came in and changed his bandages.  His wound was not opening up as it had before.  Several of the healers felt that the magical wound on his neck was finally on its way to healing properly.  Though that was good news, Hermione wasn’t convinced that he was out of the woods yet, for he still broke out in a sweat several times throughout the night.  

    By morning, it was announced that Ron’s condition had stabilized as he hadn’t run a fever for quite a long stretch.  His wound was holding together beautifully and his breathing was normal.  

    Yet, he wouldn’t wake up. 

    The healers had spoken with Hermione and the Weasley family.  They were fairly certain that remnants of the dark magic Ron had been struck with were still lingering inside his body.  The healers were also uncertain if Ron would experience any lingering effects from the dark magic like nightmares, loss of eye sight, or even memory loss.  All they could do was wait.  Hermione was terrified for him.      

    Over the next few days, several members of the Weasley family and Harry had been in and out.  Hermione cringed every time one of them came in to visit as she was sick of hearing how frail she looked.  Mrs. Weasley had been the worst, going on about how tired and rundown she looked and trying to coax her into taking a nap.  Hermione would have none of it and steadfastly refused to leave his side for one second.  

     Trying to get the Weasleys’ and Harry to stop going on about her health, Hermione began to eat the food they brought her.  However, the minute they would, she would dump the rest into the rubbish bin.  The food did her little good since it upset her stomach, making her feel as though she would vomit.  She preferred sipping peppermint tea as it seemed to soothe her stomach. 

    It was night time when Hermione first felt her senses starting to crumple.  She yawned and looked out the window for a moment, feeling as if she had no limbs, her mind strangely blank.  Hermione began to shake her head frantically.  _Pull yourself together._ She turned her attention back to Ron, who was sleeping peacefully.  _Focus.  He needs you._ Hermione lifted herself up off the chair.  Her legs felt like jelly and it took her several moments to stand properly.  Biting her lip, she walked with great difficulty over to the loo in the corner of his room.  

    Hermione turned on the faucet and gathered some water into her palms.  She splashed it onto her face and sighed wearily.  The cold water wasn’t having the desired effect, for she still felt exhausted and strangely detached from her surroundings.  Her legs began to wobble beneath her and the room began to spin.  Hermione’s head lulled forward as she began to pitch forward.  She hit her head hard on the basin, stumbling backward from the force.  Reaching her hand up to her forehead, she felt something wet and slippery.  Hermione brought her hand down and saw the blood.  She frowned for a moment, unable to comprehend why the blood was on her hand before collapsing to the ground.  Beyond tired, she allowed for the blackness to consume her, too weak to fight it off anymore.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     He began to have bizarre, frightening dreams.  Hideous monsters chased him through an elaborate maze.  Ron ran as fast as could but they kept up with him, always on his heels.  Ron could never get away from the monsters or find his way out of the maze.  The monsters would suddenly disappear and he would hear Hermione screaming for help and would begin searching the maze for her.  He never could find her, though he swore her screams were coming from somewhere right beside him.  Ron saw himself banging on the walls of the maze and shouting her name as her screams grew steadily louder.  Hermione’s cries suddenly stopped and each time the walls of the maze would begin to seep with blood.  

     And he knew it was her blood.     

   Another dream included swimming underwater in a lake.  When he tried to come up for air, he realized that the lake had somehow been sealed with dirt from above.  Trapped, he began to kick and claw at the dirt, trying to dig his way out.  He would always fail, for the water would fill the hole he dug.   Ron could eventually feel himself drifting downward to the bottom of the lake.  Each and every time it was Hermione who would take him by the hand and pull him back up and out of what suddenly became shallow water.

   And so it went, until he found himself drifting down to the bottom of the lake yet again and smelled peppermint.   The smell was overwhelming.  When Hermione again pulled him out of the water, this time she spoke and she said to him in voice as gentle as a whisper, “You need to fight.”

   From that point on, Ron found he wasn’t afraid of the monsters.  He stared at them as they began to approach, not moving an inch.  They looked him over before running past him and into the maze.  When he heard Hermione's screams, he willed the maze to go away.  It slowly evaporated and a large field appeared in its place.  He finally found her, sitting upon a chair in the middle of the field.  Her screams stopped at once as he ran to her and pulled her from the chair.  They began to make love in the open field that also smelled strangely of peppermint.  Again her voice was soft and low as she climaxed, “I love you.”  And Ron repeated the words back to her as he joined her in that glorious oblivion.  The dream would replay over and over again.  Ron couldn’t wait until he got to the part where his lips were on hers and he could trace her silky skin with his fingers.  

    Then suddenly the smell of peppermint disappeared as did her voice.  He looked out in to the field and saw that the chair was now empty.  The sky above the field turned dark and a hard rain began to pour down upon him.  _Something was wrong._ He began to run around the field, yelling out her name.  _Where the hell did she go?_ Frantic, he ran to the chair and lifted it upwards, hurling it across the rain soaked field.  Ron lifted his head up toward the blackened sky.  “I need to find her!  Show me where to find her!” 

    The rain suddenly stopped and light returned once more.  The dream began to fade away as he heard a deep male voice he didn’t recognize. “Can you hear me, Mr. Weasley?”                             

              

                   

                   


	5. "The Calm Before the Storm"

  
Author's notes:

I would like to thank my beta AccioHBP for putting up with my craziness. Everytime, I think I'm going to be done, I end up adding another chapter!!! She's been so sweet about it and I appreciate it so much. KaL and McNally, I hope you like it!

XXX,

missgranger2

* * *

“The Calm Before the Storm”

     The man’s face looking down upon him was blurry.  “Mr. Weasley, I’m Healer Sedgewick.  You’re at St. Mungos.  Mr. Weasley?”  Ron was couldn’t seem to find his voice and managed a grunt in response.  He closed his eyes for a moment, the light nearly blinding him.  “Are you able to speak?”

     Ron licked his dry lips and slowly opened his eyes.  He tried to speak, starting to grow irritated at just how difficult it was for him.  After a few deep breaths, he managed to get out one word.   “W-Water.”

    The Healer nodded and a moment later Ron felt a pair of strong hands behind his head, lifting him slowly.  “Steady now, mate.  Mind the injury to his neck.”  Ron felt the lip of the glass touch his lips.  “Here you go, Mr. Weasley.  Take a few sips.”  The Healer tipped the glass and Ron could feet the cool water in his mouth.  As he swallowed it, the coolness turned to burning and he felt as if he were swallowing a handful of nails.  Ron shakily reached his hand up to his neck, gagging.  

    The cup was removed from his lips straightaway and he felt someone hit him softly on the back.  As soon as the gagging stopped, Healer Sedgewick spoke up, “Are you alright, Mr. Weasley?”  Ron managed a small nod.  “Lay him back down, so I can check his wound.”  

    Ron closed his eyes again, feeling the Healer removing the bandages from his neck.  Besides his throat burning, he was now acutely aware of how every limb in his body was aching.  Feeling a gentle pressure on his throat, he opened his eyes to see that Healer Sedgewick was touching his neck.  “The wound is still sealed and is looking loads better.  Yes, I think the bandages can finally come off now.”  Healer Sedgewick smiled down at Ron.  “You had a severe neck injury, Mr. Weasley.  Are you having any difficulty swallowing?”  Ron could feel a prickly sensation as he swallowed and nodded.  “I see.  Are you able to describe how it feels when you swallow?” 

    Ron licked his parched lips once more.  His voice came out sounding hoarse and he strained from the effort.  “H-Hard.”

    “I don’t like the sound of your voice, Mr. Weasley.  It’s possible that your vocal chords may be scorched.  Do you think you might be able to write?”  Ron nodded weakly.  Sedgewick turned to another Healer.  “Go and fetch a quill and parchment, Maggie.”  A few moments later, Maggie returned and handed the objects over to Sedgewick.  He sat down on the edge of the bed and placed the quill in Ron’s shaky hand. Holding the pad of parchment for him, Sedgewick nodded his head in encouragement.  “Try and write down what you’re feeling.” 

    He began to write, conscious of the constant, uncontrollable trembling of his hand.  His handwriting was scraggily, his letters jerking wildly up and down, left and right.  When he was done, Ron allowed for the quill to drop from his hand, feeling tired from the effort.   Sedgewick looked down at the parchment.  “I’ll go and mix up a tonic for your throat.”  He looked at Maggie.  “He says his body is aching.  Go and get a potion for pain and administer it immediately.”  

    As Maggie hurried off, Sedgewick stood back up and grinned down at him.  “We’ll get you right as rain in no time, Mr. Weasley.  I’m going to step out for a moment and inform your family.  Are you up for visitors?”  Ron nodded, trying and failing to return a smile.  “Right then.” 

    Sedgewick opened the door to find Molly and Arthur huddled in the hallway.  They had been sitting with Ron when he began to stir and Arthur had hurried out to get a Healer.  When the Healers had arrived, they had quickly shuffled them out into the hallway. 

    Molly was crying.  “Oh please tell me he’s finally awake and alright.”

    The Healer smiled at them.  “He is indeed awake but is having trouble speaking.”  Molly gasped, thinking the worst as Arthur put his arm around her shoulder.  “He can however, write.  I had him write down how he is feeling and we’re going to administer a tonic for his throat and a potion for his pain.   He seems well in the mind, but I think it prudent of me to dispatch a mind specialist to make sure.”  Sedgewick grinned at them.  “I expect you’d like to go in and see him then?” 

    Molly nodded, laughing and crying all at once.  “Thank Merlin!”

    Sedgewick handed Arthur the pad of parchment and the quill.  “Try to make sure he communicates using these for now.  I suspect that his vocal chords may have been burned.”  Molly and Arthur’s faces frowned in concern.  “I would not worry as I feel quite certain the tonic will heal them.” 

    They nodded as Molly stepped toward the door, opening it slowly.  She looked over to see him lying on the bed, eyes staring toward the ceiling.  “Ronnie?”  At the sound of his name, Ron turned his head towards her, managing a small smile.  “Oh Ronnie!”  Molly ran towards the bed and leaned down, hugging him as best as she could.  “We are so thankful you’re alright.  You scared us half to death!”

     Molly let go of him and took his hand as Arthur peered over her shoulder.  “So good to see you’re feeling better, son.”  A small tear rolled down the elder Weasley’s cheek, a wide smile on his face.  Ron opened his mouth, the struggle evident in his face as he tried to speak.  “No, don’t try to talk, son.  Here…” Arthur reached around Mrs. Weasley with the quill and pad of parchment.  “…write it down.”

    Molly let go of his hand and took the parchment and quill from Arthur.  She placed the quill in her son’s hand and held the parchment as Healer Smith had done.  Ron began to write, using all his strength to try and keep his hand steady.  Molly looked down at the pad when he finished.  He had written a single name on the parchment:

“Hermione?” 

     Molly and Arthur exchanged a quick, worried glance at one another, making Ron frown.  Molly cleared her throat and forced a smile.  “Hermione is fine.  She’s a… she’s resting.”  Ron didn’t miss the hesitation in his mother’s voice, knowing she was trying to keep something from him.  He looked up at his father, seeing that Arthur was trying not to make eye contact with him all of sudden.  

    Something was wrong.    He recalled the nightmare he was having before he woke up and suddenly felt like he’d been hit in the stomach.  He dropped the quill and began to breathe heavily.  “T-Tell m-me…”   

     “Don’t try and talk!”  Arthur laid his hand on his shoulder and sighed.  “Hermione wouldn’t leave your side, Ron.  None of us could get her to listen to reason.  She was completely and utterly exhausted, son, and last night she wound up collapsing in the loo.”  Arthur bit his lip for a moment as Ron’s eyes widened in alarm.  “She’s got a nasty bump on her head as she apparently hit it on the sink when she fainted.  The Healers admitted her and she’s just down the hallway.  She’s alright, Ron.”  He smiled and patted his shoulder reassuringly.  “The Healers said she was suffering from exhaustion and needed rest more than anything.”

     Ron had a look of complete anguish on his face when Sedgewick and Maggie bristled into the room, each carrying a small phial.  Sedgewick looked down at Ron with a smile that quickly turned to a frown.  “What’s the matter, Mr. Weasley?”

     Arthur spoke up, “He was just asking about his fiancé.”  Arthur gestured with his head to the right.  “You know… Miss Granger.”

    “Oh.”  The smile returned.  “She’s going to be fine, no need to worry.  Now, if you could please just move a moment, Mrs. Weasley, we’d like to give him his tonic and potion.”  Sedgewick gave him the tonic first and instantly Ron could feel a change right away.  The prickling sensation had all but disappeared and he felt a sudden coldness.  

     Maggie stepped up next and tipped the phial of pain potion into his mouth.  Ron found it surprisingly easy to swallow the potion, and he didn’t gag like he had when he drank the water.  “There.”  She smiled pleasantly at him.  “That should help relieve the soreness.  No need to fret over Miss Granger.  I just popped my head in her room on the way here and she’s still sound asleep.”

     Ron nodded and bowed his head sadly.  Healer Sedgewick piped up, “Alrighty then, the tonic should take affect right away.  We need to start getting you eating again and we’ll start you out on some chicken broth.”  He patted his hand.  “If you can keep the fluids down for a few days, then we’ll move you on to solid food.”  He turned to Maggie.  “Go and inform one of the nurses to go and fetch him some chicken broth.”  Healer Sedgewick strode to the door, turning as he was about to exit.  “You, Mr. Weasley, are what we call a medical miracle!” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     Most of Ron’s family visited with him throughout the day.  Though he had first detested the broth, he began to slowly eat it with little fuss as it seemed to make him feel stronger little by little.  Best of all, his voice had returned, though it still sounded a bit scratchy to his ears. The mind specialist had questioned him for exactly ten minutes until Ron told him to sod off.  Ron had found his questions both ridiculous and childish while the mind specialist thought Ron was rude and uncooperative.  Nevertheless, the mind specialist found no lingering effects from the attack and gave his mind a clean bill of health. 

    It was around five in the evening when Harry showed up.  He kept apologizing to Ron profusely for not having come earlier.  Harry had been sent to Northern England on official Auror business that he couldn’t postpone.  Upon hearing his friend start to apologize once again, Ron held his hand up in complete exasperation.  “Oh for pity sakes, enough already, Harry.  You apologize one more time to me and I swear I’ll come up off this bed and beat the shite out of you!”  They both laughed.  Ron’s face suddenly grew serious when the laughter ceased.  “Is Hermione really alright, mate?” 

     Harry shrugged and tilted his head.  “Better than she was before, I suppose.”

    “What do you mean?”

    Harry sighed.  “Hermione completely broke down while you were ill.  She wouldn’t eat or sleep and damned near worried us all to bloody death.”  Harry was about to tell him the whole story about  Hermione using a spell she wasn’t familiar with to try and save him , but decided against it.  After all, she hadn’t meant any harm and had only wanted to help him.  “Anyway, I know this sounds completely horrible but I think it was a good thing that she finally collapsed as there was no bloody way she’d listen to reason, Ron.”

    Ron bit his lip and ran his hand through his hair.  “I want to go see her, Harry.”

    Harry frowned.  “But you can’t!  You’re still recovering yourself.  There’s no way the Healers would let you out of bed right now.” 

     Ron smiled sheepishly at him.  “Well, I was thinking that perhaps maybe you could help me out.”

     Harry began to shake his head.  “Uh-uh!  No fucking way am I doing that.  I heard the Healer who was looking you over when I came in and he said you’d likely be on strict bed rest for at least another day… _or_ _two_!”

      Ron waved his hand.  “He doesn’t know shite.  Besides, I feel much better now.”

     Harry brought his hand up to his forehead wearily.  “I dunno’ about this.”

     “So you’ll help me then?”  Ron asked excitedly.  Harry sighed and nodded his head.  “I knew you would!” 

    “What’s your plan?”

     Ron scowled for a moment, lost in thought when the door opened and George walked in.  His voice was loud.  “Hey. There.  Little.  Brother.”  Ron frowned at him as he walked up to the edge of the bed and stooped down, looking him straight in the eye.  George began to speak in a loud voice, slowly and deliberately once again.  “Are. You. Alright?”

     Ron rolled his eyes.  “Stop it, George.” 

    George stood up, laughing heartily.  “Mum told me the mind Healer had come by to take a look at you.  I told her it wouldn’t matter if he found something wrong with you as we all know you’ve always been a complete nutter!” 

    “Fuck off, George.”  Ron began to chuckle.  “And thanks for your concern.”

    “I’m glad you’re feeling better.  Of course, I could kick your arse for worrying us all to death, you bloody tosser!” 

     Ron laughed again and then stopped suddenly.  He eyed George up and down.  “Hey George, you wouldn’t mind doing me a bit of a favor for say thirty minutes, would ya’?  Now mind you it might get us all into serious trouble.” 

     George’s eyes perked up and resembled somewhat of a panting dog.  “Did you say trouble?” 

     “Indeed I did.”

     George rubbed his hands together.  “Fortunately for you, trouble is my middle name.  What do you have in mind, little brother?” 

     Ron grinned.  “Well, I was hoping to get out of here for a bit.  I thought I might have Harry go and knick a wheelchair and that maybe you could pretend you were me.”  He saw George frown and added quickly, “All you’d have to do is lie on my bed and pull the covers up.  The Healers come by and pop their heads in once in awhile and they’ll think it’s me.  The only ones I really have to worry about are the Healers who come and physically check on me every hour and I’d be back before long before then.”

     “And just where exactly are you going to go in this stolen wheelchair?” 

     Ron sighed.  “I want to go and see Hermione.  I know she’s just right down the hallway and although everyone keeps telling me she’s fine, I’d just feel loads better if I could see for myself.”  George kept frowning at him, making Ron grow more and more irritated as he glanced up at the clock.  “Well?  Are you in or out?” 

     “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea, Ron.” 

     “And why not?”  

      George looked solemnly at Harry and then back at Ron.  “I just came from her room and…”  George suddenly looked uncomfortable all of a sudden and began to pull the collar of his shirt away from his neck.  “I just think it might be a bit upsetting for you.”  Ron sat up completely, grimacing from the effort.  He began to try and swing his legs off the side of the bed with great difficulty.  “What the devil are you doing?” 

     Beginning to sweat, he spat at his brother, “I’m going to go and see Hermione with or without your help!”  Breathing heavily, he looked at Harry.  “Go and get that fucking wheelchair, Harry.” 

     Harry bolted out of the room as George approached the bed.  “Lie back down, Ron.” 

     “No, I will not lie back down.  Obviously something much worse has happened to Hermione than everybody has told me!”

     George sighed.   “Hermione is fine.  Just lie back down and let me explain.”  Ron scowled at his brother a moment before shakily lowering himself to the mattress.  George sat down in the chair by the bed.  “I should have used a better choice of words, I suppose.  It’s just that Hermione’s head is all bandaged up and it looks as if somebody punched her in the eyes.  She’s also been given a very powerful sleeping potion and won’t even know you’re there.”  He sighed again and wiped his eyes wearily.  “I just know how much she means to you and I thought it would upset you seeing her that way.”

     George’s face grew solemn.  His voice was just above a whisper and Ron had to strain to hear him. “I told her to take better care of herself when you were in a coma.  I told her you’d go spare knowing she wasn’t eating and sleeping.”  He took a deep breath.  “But would she listen? No.” 

     Harry clamored in with the wooden wheelchair.  “I got the wheelchair, now what?”

     George cleared his throat and wiped his eyes hastily.  “Bring it closer, Harry, and we’ll lift his big arse into it.” 

     Ron managed a smile.  “Watch it, George!”

    They managed to get Ron into the wheelchair, both a bit breathless from the effort.  George slipped his shoes off and kicked them under the bed.  He looked at Ron and Harry and shook his head.  “This isn’t going to work!  He’s all exposed sitting in that wheelchair. What if a Healer suddenly comes down the hallway?” 

    Harry frowned for a moment and then reached deep into his pockets.  With great difficulty, he managed to pull out his dad’s old Invisibility cloak.  “I’ll cover him with this!” 

     As Harry sat about draping the cloak over Ron’s head, George shook his head.  “Oh that’s rich!  Why the hell would you be going down the hallway with an empty wheelchair?” 

    “I’ll think of something.”  He stepped back from the wheelchair, admiring his handy work. “There.  Now nobody will see you.” 

     George got up on top the bed and buried himself underneath the covers.  “Go and get a move on then!  And make it quick!”

    Ron nodded as Harry began to spin him around and towards the door.  He turned his head slightly, “Make sure your back is to the door, George!” 

     “No shite, Sherlock!  Just hurry the hell up!” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     Ron and Harry made it down the hallway with no trouble at all.  Hermione was in a room only four doors down which made the jaunt fast.  Harry opened the door and wheeled Ron into the dark room.  Ron could just make out her small form on the bed that was placed in the center of the room.  Harry moved him closer and then ran and shut the door.  He came back over and took out his wand.  _“Lumos!”_

    Ron slowly removed the cloak, allowing it to gather up in his lap.  “Give me your wand Harry, and go stand by the door.  Let me know if you hear anybody coming.”  Harry handed him his wand and Ron began to lift it up toward her face.  The sight that greeted him made him gasp in spite of himself.  There was a heavy bandage on her head and her eyes were black and sunken in.  Her usually olive skin looked pale and chalky.  Ron reached his other hand out and ran it gently along her jaw.  “Merlin, what the hell happened to you, sweetheart?”  He frowned.  “You’re so bloody cold.”  He moved his hand from her face and to her hand that was resting on top of the thin blanket.  “Even your hand is like ice.”  He bent forward with some difficulty and brought her icy hand to his lips, kissing it reverently.  

    Ron dropped Harry’s wand down upon the bed and used both his hands to warm hers.  Still frowning, he laid her hand gently down on the bed and picked Harry’s wand back up.  He held it up, searching around the room.  “What is it, Ron?”  Harry whispered from the door.   He watched as Ron began to roll his wheelchair over to a wall of cabinets on the other side of the room.  “Ron?” 

    Ignoring Harry, Ron began to open the cabinets one by one until he found what he was hunting for.   He reached in and brought two folded heavy blankets out, setting them on his lap.  Ron rolled himself back over to the bed and whispered into the darkness, “Help me get these on her.  The idiots are letting her freeze to death.”  

    Harry hesitated a moment and then hurried over to where Ron was.  Ron put a warming charm on both blankets. Harry lifted it from his lap and began to spread it out over Hermione, using the light from the tip of his wand for guidance.  Harry did the same with the other and began to tip toe hurriedly back towards the door.  “How much longer do you have, Ron?”

    “I have time.”  He lied, not caring if he made it back to his room in the least.  “Harry, can you help me up onto the bed?” 

    “What?  Are you mad?”  Harry hissed.  “This was supposed to be quick, Ron!  You’re not supposed to be out of bed!”  

    “Please, Harry.”  He reached his hand under the myriad of blankets; her skin was still deathly cold.  Ron turned his head towards the door and pleaded once more.  “Harry, please help me.”

    Harry sighed and came over.  “This is stupid, Ron.  We’re going to get caught!” 

    “Feel her skin!”

    Harry placed his hand upon her cheek.  “Bloody hell!  She feels like an ice cube.”  

    “See!”

    “Well maybe she’s supposed to be cold like that.  I mean after all, this is a hospital and I’m sure the Healers know what they’re doing.”

     “Not bloody likely.”  He braced his hands on the sides of the wheelchair and began to lift himself up.  Ron grimaced.  “Help me off of here and over to the bed.”  

    Harry stood behind the wheelchair and placed his hands tightly around Ron’s chest.  He began to lift him upward and even with Ron’s help, he was finding it difficult.  Ron braced his hands on the bed, and then moved the sheets back.  Shakily, he lifted his knee up onto the bed as Harry kept a tight hold on his chest.  “Okay Harry, I think you can let go now.”  Harry slowly let go as Ron tumbled down onto the bed, falling completely on top of Hermione.  “Shite.”  Feeling weak from rolling himself in the wheelchair, Ron frantically raised himself as best he could on his elbows only to fall down on top of her again.  “It’s no good, I can’t hold myself up!  Oh shite Harry, I’m crushing her.”

    Harry jumped up on the bed and placed his hands on Ron’s waist.  With a groan he raised him up slightly.  The space was just enough for Ron to scoot Hermione over.  “I’m going to try and lay on my side.”  Ron grimaced slightly.  With Harry’s help, he managed to fall to his side beside Hermione.  Sweaty and breathless from the effort, he asked Harry, “C-Could you cover us with the blankets… n-now.”  He swallowed hard, feeling completely and utterly exhausted.  

    Harry mumbled under his breath, “We are dead meat for sure.”  He placed the blankets over them and jumped down from the bed.  Rolling his eyes, he walked back over to the wheelchair and sat down in it, shaking his head.  _Might as well just sit here and wait to be discovered. Why in the hell did I let him talk me into this?_

     Ron pulled Hermione tightly to his bare chest and began rubbing his hand as fast as he could muster up and down her back.  “I’ll get you warm, love.”  Ron reached his head down and kissed her frozen cheek. He lifted his leg slightly and wound it around her leg.  “Come on, Hermione.”  He stopped moving his hand as a horrible thought occurred to him all of a sudden.  Ron shakily brought his hand back up and felt for a pulse in her neck.  Nothing. 

    Starting to panic, he pushed her onto her back and wrenched the covers from her chest.  Trembling terribly, he laid his head down upon her chest and listened.  Harry suddenly sat bolt upright, alarmed at Ron’s behavior.  “What the hell is the matter, Ron?” 

    “Shhh!”  Ron listened for a moment and then started to chuckle slightly.  “I can hear it.  Her heart’s beating.  I couldn’t find a pulse… for a minute there I thought she was…”

   The door burst open, making both Harry and Ron jump in fright.  Healer Maggie stood there, her hands on her hips, her eyes blazing.  “What in Merlin’s name are you two doing in here?!”               

                                    


	6. When it All Went Wrong

  
Author's notes:

I would like to thank ACCIOHBP for her brilliant beta work. I adore her and I thank her for her suggestions and sticking by me! And to KaL and McNally, I hope you enjoyed your story as I had a blast writing it!

*hugs*

missgranger2

 

* * *

Chapter 6 “When it All Went Wrong”

     Ron had been arguing back and forth with Healer Maggie for some time.  He was lying back against the headboard of Hermione’s hospital bed, holding her against him.  Though he felt weak, the argument with Maggie seemed to give him a shot of adrenaline.  She had been adamant that he must return to his own bed straightaway.  Ron, on the other hand, flat out refused and demanded that he be able to stay in Hermione’s room with her in bed.  “I’m not leaving this room so you might as well stuff it!”  Ron held Hermione’s lifeless body tighter against him.  “I am going to be right here so that I can stop you nutters from doing any other barmy things to my fiancé.”

     “Barmy things?  What are you on about, Mr. Weasley?”

     “She’s freezing cold is what I’m on about!  Is that normal?  No, I don’t think so.”  

     Maggie sighed.  “Miss Granger’s body is cold due to the effects of the potion.  I assure you she is perfectly fine.”

     “Humph!  So you say.”  Ron scowled at her.  

     Maggie rubbed her eyes wearily and turned to Harry who had been sitting in the wheelchair watching the exchange.   “Mr. Potter, do you think perhaps you could try and talk some sense into your friend here?  He needs rest.”

     Harry shrugged.  “Quite frankly, I think he’d rest better if you’d just leave him where he is.”  He cleared his throat.  “Besides, if you force him to go back to his room, he’s just going to try to escape again.”

     Maggie groaned in exasperation.  “Fine.”  She rounded on Ron.   “But just so you know, all of your  Healers attending you have to be in agreement.  If not, I’ll be sending in the orderlies to collect you.”  She turned on her heal and stomped out of the room angrily.  

     Harry rolled his eyes.  “That went well.” 

     Ron kissed Hermione’s temple and sank back down into the bed.  “Hey Harry, could you check the cabinets and see if there’s another pillow?  Oh and can I borrow your wand again?” 

     Frowning, Harry stood up, walked over and handed Ron his wand.  “Did you not hear a word she said?  Any minute now a bunch of orderlies could be coming through that door to collect you.”  

     Not paying him any attention, Ron waved Harry’s wand and the bed instantly enlarged itself.  He handed it back to Harry.  “That’s better.  All I need now is a pillow.”

     “You’re impossible, you know that Ron?”  Harry began searching through the cabinets until he finally found a few pillows in one.  Harry grabbed a pillow, wanting to toss it at Ron, but owing to his condition he ended up handing it to him instead.  “Anything else?”  Harry said sarcastically. 

     Ron placed the pillow under his head and sighed.  “No, I’m good.”  He turned on his side and used his hand to position Hermione’s body until her back was flush against him.  He draped his arm over her side, resting his hand on her stomach and yawned.  “Blimey, I’m so bloody tired.”  

     “I wonder why that is.”  Harry said through gritted teeth.  Minutes later, the sound of Ron snoring filled the room.  Harry shook his head and mumbled.  “I swear you’re the most stubborn person I know.”  He tucked his invisibility cloak back into his robes and used his wand to extinguish the lights before leaving the room in a huff.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     Ron woke up, his limbs feeling very sore.  It took him exactly two seconds to realize that he was back in his own hospital room.  _Bastards!_ He tried to lift himself up, but his body wouldn’t cooperate.  

     Ron felt a hand on his shoulder, pushing him downwards.  “Easy there, Mr. Weasley.  I dare say you overdid it last night.”

     “Last night?  What time is it?”

     “Almost ten in the morning.”  The Healer began running his wand up and down Ron’s body.  “You still aren’t out of the woods yet I’m afraid.  And your little trip down the hall wasn’t the brightest thing to do in your condition.”  

     Ron scowled at him.  “I’m fine, just a little sore is all.  And just so you know, I will be going back to her room as soon as possible.”

      The Healer shook his head.  “That’s not a good idea.  The only way you’re going to get your strength back is to stay put.”

     “I can stay put just as well in her bed.”

     “Mr. Weasley, I don’t think you understand the seriousness of your situation.  I am fairly certain that your body is still experiencing the effects of dark magic and will be for some time.  In order to better treat your injuries, you need to stay in bed. _Your own bed!_ ”  The Healer picked up a vial from the nightstand and removed the stopper.  “Now, you need to drink this.”

     Ron batted it away.  “I’m not drinking anything.”

     “Mr. Weasley, you need to keep drinking this potion in order to flush the dark magic from your system.”

     “What I need is to be with my fiancé, and until you tossers allow me to do so, I refuse any and all treatments.” 

     The Healer sighed.  “Please don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be.  You need this potion.”

     Ron shook his head.  “I’ll drink the ruddy potion only after somebody takes me to my fiancé.  End of story.”  He smiled defiantly at him.  “And just so you know, I am well aware of my rights to refuse treatment and will most assuredly use that to my advantage.”

     Knowing Ron had him dead to rights; the Healer angrily replaced the stopper on the vial.  “Fine, I’ll go and get you a wheelchair, Mr. Weasley.”  He scowled at him briefly before walking out of the room. 

~*~*~*~*~**~*~

     It had been a long morning for Ron, sitting in the wheelchair watching Hermione.  After he agreed to take his potion and a few tonics, the Healers brought him a cup of chicken broth and some diluted Pumpkin Juice, reassuring him that he’d probably be allowed solid food very soon.  Director Timmons also stopped by, alarmed at first that he wasn’t in his hospital room.   Right before he sounded the alarm, a Healer had brought him to Ron.

     Timmons was there to not only check on Ron’s condition, but to return his recovered wand to him as well.  As was standard procedure, a prior incantatem had been performed on Ron’s wand as well as a thorough inspection.  Ron was overjoyed to have it back, as it certainly made things easier for him. Timmons also debriefed Ron as to what had happened.  He couldn’t recall every detail and Timmons didn’t press him.  In the end, Timmons told him to try and remember more while he was on leave and to pass on anything that would help them catch the perpetrators.  As soon as Timmons had left, Ron had used his wand to enlarge the bed once again.  Levitating a pillow from the cabinet and onto the bed, he forced his aching body out of the wheelchair and climbed in next to Hermione.  Feeling exhausted once more, he promptly took a much needed nap.

~*~*~*~*~**~*~

     He woke up to find himself in his own bed once again.  Aggravated, he looked over to see his mother sitting in a chair beside his bed, smiling at him.  “Hello, Ronnie.  How are you feeling, dear?”

     “I’m fine, mum.”  Ron frowned and said to more to himself than to Molly, “Why’d they put me back in my bed again?”

     Molly placed her hand over his.  “They asked me to talk to you about that.”

     Ron arched his eyebrow at her.  “Did they now?  If they think that for one minute they can use my mum to make me stay put, then they’re barking mad.”

     “Ron, it’s not like that.  You see, Healer Maggie is very concerned about what effects the dark magic might still have on you.”

     Ron sighed.  “I’ve already heard all about it and trust me when I tell you that I feel perfectly fine, just a bit tired is all.”

     “Listen to me, Ronald.”  Molly cleared her throat.  “The thing is, well….they are concerned about Hermione’s safety.” 

     He narrowed his eyes at her.  “What do you mean?”

     “As she explained it to me, they fear you might try and do something to Hermione- unconsciously mind you.”

     Ron looked as if he’d been slapped.  “I would never in a million years hurt Hermione!”

     “Awake you wouldn’t, but asleep they’re not sure.  Apparently they’ve came across cases of wizards who, when hit with dark magic, have done some terrible things while asleep.”  Molly’s eyes began to tear up.  “That’s why they move you back to your own bed when you fall asleep, Ron.  I know you’d never forgive yourself if you hurt Hermione in some way.”

     Ron felt queasy all of a sudden.   “Why didn’t they tell me all of this before?”  _What if I had…_ He shuddered for a moment at the thought.  “Will it always be that way?”

     “Maggie didn’t think you’d refuse treatment and thought that you’d stay in your bed.  Then there’d be no need to tell you.  That’s part of the reason it’s vital for you to take the potion to flush your system out.”  She gave him a watery smile.  “Maggie said that the last time they checked you for remnants of dark magic, that it was almost entirely gone.  So, no, you won’t always be a threat to Hermione or anyone else while you’re asleep.”

     Ron ran his hand through his hair.  “I still need to be with her… to see her, mum.  I’m worried about her.” 

     Molly patted his hand.  “I’ll wheel you down there myself in a few moments, but first young man, you need to try and eat.”  She picked up a bowl, setting on the nightstand.  “I was told by one of the Healers that you could try and eat a bit of oatmeal.”  She picked up the bowl, along with a spoon, and handed it to him.  “Perhaps tomorrow I might be able to bring you in something a bit more tasty.”

     Ron smiled and took a small spoonful.   He ended up eating half of it, his appetite still not back.  Though he felt a bit stronger, Molly still had to help him into the wheelchair.  She pushed him down the hallway and into Hermione’s room.  He was happy to see that the bandages had been removed from her head.  There was a small bump where she had hit the sink, but it looked to be healing.  Ron reached over and took her hand in his.  “She feels warmer.”

     Molly smiled.  “Maggie said she will probably wake up soon.  She’ll be so happy to see you, I’m sure.”  Molly stooped down and gave Ron a kiss on the cheek.  “I have to go.  I promised I’d babysit Victoire for Fleur and Bill a few weeks back.  Apparently they have some sort of dinner at the Ministry they were invited to.” 

     Ron smiled and teased, “I’m sure it positively kills you that you have to babysit.”

     Molly chuckled.  “You get some rest and I’ll be back tomorrow, alright?”

     “Will do.  I’ll see you tomorrow, mum.  Good night!”

     “Good night, Ronnie!”  She gave him a hug before turning and leaving the room, closing the door behind her. 

~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~

     It was a while later when he saw her stir.  “Hermione?”  Ron moved his wheelchair closer.  “Can you hear me, Hermione?”

    She licked her lips a few times and sighed.  Slowly her eyes fluttered open.  “What?  W-Where am I?”   Hermione struggled to sit up as Ron placed his hands on her arms.

    “Lay back down, sweetheart.”

     “R-Ron?” 

     He removed his hands and used his wand to light up one of the lamps that hung along the walls.  “It’s me.”  He sat his wand down and cupped her cheek with one hand.  “Merlin, you scared me to death.  Are you alright?”

    Tears began to fall from her eyes.  “You’re awake.”  She brought her hand up and covered his.  “I was so afraid of losing you, Ron.”  Hermione began to cry harder.  “I’d never been so scared in my life.”

    “Shh.”  Ron lifted her to him as best as he could and nestled his face in the crook of her neck.  “I’m alright.   You didn’t think you’d be able to get rid of me that easily, did you?”

     Hermione placed her hands on either side of his head and moved it so as he was inches away from her face.  “I couldn’t have taken it if you died.  I was so worried.  Please don’t ever do that to me again.”  Before Ron knew what was happening, Hermione had pulled him closer, crushing her lips to his.   Ron responded immediately, kissing her back with all he had.  When they broke apart, Hermione began running her fingers lovingly through his hair.  Studying his face for a long moment, she frowned.  “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up.  I can’t believe I missed you waking up.”

    “From what I heard, you needed to rest.”  Ron brushed her lips with his and sighed.  “You should have taken better care of yourself.  I know you were worried about me, but if ever I do wind up back in the hospital, please promise me you’ll look after yourself.”  He bent his head up and kissed the small bump on her forehead.  “Promise me.”

    “What happened to you, Ron?”

     Ron chuckled slightly.  “Don’t you go and try changing the subject.  Promise me.”  He looked down to see her frantically shaking her head, tears streaming from her eyes.  “Hermione?”

     “I can’t.  I’ve come to realize that if you died, Ronald Weasley… you’d be taking my heart… my very soul with you.”  She sniffled.  “I couldn’t live without you… I just c-couldn’t.”

     Ron frowned.  “What exactly are you saying, Hermione?  We talked over the risks that my job as an Auror might entail when I began training, remember?”   She bit her lip and nodded.  He felt his eyes growing wet.  “I have a dangerous job and if something does happen to me, I want you to go on living your life, alright?”

     “And what if I can’t do that?” 

     Ron stared at her in disbelief, not liking what she was implying one bit.  Before he could say anything more, the door opened and Healer Maggie walked in.  “Ah Miss Granger, are you awake now?”  Ron pulled himself up slowly and slumped back in his wheelchair.  Maggie narrowed her eyes at him.  “And you need to try and not over exert yourself, Mr. Weasley.  You’re all pale and sweaty.  I think I’ll have someone take you back to your room so you can get some rest.”

     “NO!”  Ron said forcefully, making Maggie jump slightly.  He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “I’m not going anywhere without her.”  The conversation he had just had with Hermione had frankly scared the crap out of him.  She had never said anything like that to him before.  Thinking the potion or hitting her head had befuddled her mind somehow, he wanted her to be where he could keep his eyes on her.     

    “Did your mum talk to you earlier?”

    “She did.  I think something could be arranged to ensure her safety until you’re certain I can be trusted.”

    Hermione weakly turned her head toward him and frowned.  “What are you talking about?”

    Ron placed his hand shakily over hers.  “Apparently, I’m a threat to you when I’m asleep because having any remnants of dark magic left in my system might make me do something….um….dangerous.”

    Maggie folded her arms.  “Well, what exactly do you have in mind, Mr. Weasley?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    The Healers had rolled Hermione’s bed with her in it into Ron’s room.  She was nearly as weak as Ron and was given several potions straight away.  Her bed had been moved right next to his at his insistence.  Ron leaned over and kissed her lovingly before setting his wand on the nightstand. He lay down in his  bed and nodded at Maggie.  Ron taught her a spell that he had used while transporting dangerous prisoners.  Though she was skeptical, Maggie did as he instructed and conjured up a clear barrier around his bed.  Ron held his arms out to illustrate how he was basically trapped within the confines of the barrier. 

    Satisfied that Ron would not be a threat to Hermione, Maggie extinguished the lamps and bid them good night.  Ron turned on his side toward her.  As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could just make out the steady rising and falling of her chest.  “I love you.”  Ron sighed, feeling relieved to have her there and knowing that she would be safe.  Though his fingers itched to touch her, it wasn’t long before exhaustion overtook him and he closed his eyes, drifting off into a deep sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     Ron’s eyes fluttered open and he stretched his body out.  His limbs were not nearly as sore as they had been.  Yawning, he turned toward Hermione and saw that she was curled on her side facing him, fast asleep.  Ron smiled at the sight of her and reached his hand out and stroked her hair back out of her face.  _Wait a minute._ Ron sat up, and frowned.  _Where’s the barrier?_

     A Healer walked in.  “Good morning, Mr. Weasley.  I dare say you are looking healthier and healthier  every time I see you.”

    “What the hell happened to the barrier around my bed?”

     “There were several tests for dark magic done on you last night while you were sleeping.  That last bit of potion you took must have done the job, because we couldn’t detect it anymore.  Needless to say, the barrier was removed early this morning.”

    “Oh, well I wish somebody would have woken me up to tell me.”

    “You needed the rest.  Feeling hungry this morning?  How’d you like to try some scrambled eggs and toast?”

    For some reason, it did sound good to him.  “Sure.”

   “I’ll bring Miss Granger some as well.  Be back in a jiffy.”

    “Thanks.”  The Healer left the room and Ron rolled over to face Hermione.  Not being able to help himself, Ron pushed the hair back from her neck and began to nibble there.  “Hermione.”  He said against her skin.  “Time to get up, love.”

    She sighed and ran her fingers through his hair.  “Hmm.”

    Ron chuckled and began kissing his way up her neck until he reached her ear.  “The Healer is bringing us some breakfast.  Hungry?”  He dipped his head and began planting feather light kisses down the slope of her neck.  

    Awake now, Hermione giggled.  “Stop that Ron, it’s driving me insane.  You know how sensitive my neck is.”  Hermione rolled on her back and couldn’t help tilt her head to give him better access when he began to suck and kiss his way up the other side of her neck.   “W-We’re in a h-hospital room.”

    “So?”  

    “So, I d-don’t think it’s proper.”  She began to run her fingernails lightly up and down his back.  

    Ron could feel himself growing hard and reluctantly stopped tormenting her neck.  He propped himself up on one elbow and smiled at her.  “Reckon you’re right.  How are you feeling this morning?”

    “I feel better than I did.”  She shrugged.  “Just still a bit tired I suppose.”  She smiled up at him.  “And you?”

    “Actually, I’m feeling loads better myself.”  The Healer entered with two trays and Ron sat back against the headboard of his bed.  “In fact, I even feel a bit hungry again.”  The Healer placed the tray on Ron’s lap.  “Merlin, this smells good.”   He turned and watched as Hermione sat up and frowned.  

    Her forehead broke out in a sweat and the Healer hastily placed her tray on the nightstand.  “I think you should lie back down, Miss Granger.”  Hermione nodded and quickly lay back down, closing her eyes. 

    “You alright, sweetheart?”  Ron set his tray on the nightstand nearest him and turned to place his hand on her forehead.  “Merlin, Hermione, you look white as a sheet.”  

     The Healer spoke up.  “She hasn’t had any food in two days or for most of the week as I’ve heard.  She really does need some type of nourishment to get her strength back.”  The Healer fished a vial from his pocket.  “I’ll give her a dose of tonic to ease the light headedness and then perhaps she’ll be able to eat something.” 

     Ron nodded at the Healer.  “I’ll prop her head up.” He scooted over and snaked his hand behind her neck, lifting it up slightly.  “Hermione, open your mouth so the Healer can give you a tonic.  You need to eat.”   Her eyes still closed, Hermione swallowed hard and then opened her mouth slightly.  The Healer tipped the vial, pouring the contents slowly into her mouth.   

    After drinking it all, her eyes slowly fluttered open and she licked her lips.  “I suppose I’ll try and sit up again.”

    Ron helped her up, pulling his arm away when she was sitting back against the headboard.  “Better?”  Hermione nodded.  “Thank Merlin.”  Ron moved over and then turned to grab his tray from the nightstand as the Healer placed a tray on Hermione’s lap.   They began to eat in silence.  Ron mused to himself that he hadn’t ever thought scrambled eggs to be so tasty.  He took a drink of his Pumpkin Juice and frowned when he noticed that Hermione had hardly eaten anything and instead was merely moving her food around with her fork.   “Quit playing with your food and eat it, love.  You heard the Healer.”

   “I ate what I could.”  Hermione said somewhat defensively.

   Ron sighed.  “You need to try and eat more.”

    Hermione shrugged and set down her fork.  “I’m full, Ron.”  She took a sip of her Pumpkin Juice and then set the tray down on the nightstand beside her bed.  “I feel so tired.”  She sighed and lay back down. 

    Ron finished his breakfast just as the Healer came to collect their trays.  He lay down, reaching for Hermione’s body, pulling it closer to his own.  She shimmied backwards until her back was right up against his chest.  Ron laid his hand on her stomach and began tracing lazy circles there through her hospital gown, feeling knackered at having eaten his first real meal in days. 

   “Ron?”  She placed her hand over his.

   “Hmm?”

    “Are you ever going to tell me about what happened to you?”

    He sighed and kissed the back of her head.  “I promise I’ll be more careful next time, alright?”

    She was silent for a long moment.  “I love you.”  Hermione turned her head around towards him and kissed him gently on the lips before lying back down.

    “I love you too, sweetheart.”  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    It wasn’t long before his hand stilled on her stomach and his breathing evened out.  Hermione hadn’t fallen asleep, her eyes fixed on a spot on the wall.  _Next time._ Those two words filled her with a sense of dread and fear that she had never experienced in her life.  Tears began to stream down her face as she saw him lying dead and all alone in some God forsaken place.  _Next time._ A sense of terror took hold of her heart.  She pushed back against him carefully, until Ron let go of her and lay on his back.  Hermione turned around and studied him a moment before laying her head on his chest.  The sound of his strong heartbeat eventually lulled her to sleep where the nightmares of his death played over and over again in her mind.   How could she have ever known that the nightmares would continue long after, as would the constant fear of losing him.  It was the beginning of a long, emotional journey for Hermione that would change her life forever.     


End file.
